Da Vinci's Demons: is there too much historical fantasy on screen?

The eight-part drama starts tonight on Fox with Leonardo as a sword-wielding rogue. Later in the year sees a new version of The Three Musketeers, plus several pirate dramas and other historical epics. Is it all too much swashbuckling and sorcery?

The problem with a show becoming a hit is that suddenly every one else wants a piece of the action. Thus, after Lost, we were inundated with overly complex dramas filled with secrets and cryptic clues (Flash Forward, The Event, Alcatraz); without Mad Men's Emmy success, it is unlikely networks would have been desperate to commission either Pan Am or The Playboy Club. And now, thanks to the success of Game of Thrones, viewers are being treated to a whole raft of historical fantasy shows.

Take Da Vinci's Demons, which starts on Fox this evening. The eight-part drama recasts the renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci as a charming rogue with an eye for the ladies, often seen flashing his chest while fending off assorted enemies. Or the new version of the Three Musketeers, coming to the BBC next year, starring Peter Capaldi as Cardinal Richelieu and Skins actor Luke Pasqualino as D'Artagnan. Sorcery and swordplay, it seems, will become even harder to escape from the schedules.

Elsewhere, US TV networks have two pirate dramas in the mix: Black Sails, a Treasure Island prequel in which, judging by the eight-minute trailer, Michael Bay indulges his twin desires to watch women kissing and blow things up a lot, and Crossbones, which stars John Malkovich as Blackbeard and is scripted by Luther's Neil Cross. Meanwhile, a big-budget version look at the life of Marco Polo produced by Harvey Weinstein is in the works at American cable channel Starz.

Over here, the BBC has clearly decided that the best way to imitate Game of Thrones's blend of backstabbing and betrayal is to strip away the fantasy trappings and head back to George R R Martin's original inspiration: the War of the Roses.

Later this year they will air The White Queen, a 10-part adaptation of Philippa Gregory's War of the Roses-set novel. That will be followed in 2014 by the much-anticipated BBC take on Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance as arch-conspirator Thomas Cromwell.

Yet, while it is easy to understand the rush to imitate the hugely successful Game of Thrones, do we really want to be subsumed in a sea of historical fantasy? As someone who owns a much-cherished box set of Sean Bean's Napoleonic war series Sharpe, I'm always open to a certain amount of swashbuckling and bodice ripping. But even the biggest fan can worry that the bandwagon may be in danger of tipping.

With Da Vinci's Demons, it soon becomes clear that it's not quite as clever as Game of Thrones which is a great shame because in its better bits – the throwaway one-liners, the mischievous playing with history – Da Vinci's Demons feels a little like Sherlock or Merlin in tone (and it is no surprise to note that it is a BBC Worldwide co-production). It is a show that should work as great, blockbuster family entertainment but is instead trying too hard to be dark and edgy and adult.

But what do you think – will you be watching Da Vinci's Demons? Which of the other new shows would you watch? Can anyone replicate the success of Game of Thrones? And is there really room in your life for two pirate dramas? As ever let me know in the comments below …